its ruins. They made no question, they were fully perfuaded, that the fucceffor to the Roman emperor in Rome would be the man of fin;' and who hath fucceeded to the Roman emperor in Rome, let the world judge and determine.

St John too hath copied after Daniel, and, Chap. xiii. exhibits the Roman empire under the fame emblem of 'a beaft with ten horns. It is evident that he defigned the fame as Daniel's fourth or laft beast, because he reprefents him as a compofition of the three former, with the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion.' He defcribes him too with the qualities and properties of the little horn,' fpeaking the fame blafphemies, acting the fame cruelties: and having plainly feen what power was intended by the one, we have the lefs reafon to hefitate about the other. But to distinguish him yet more, the number of his name is defined to be 'fix hundred and fixty fix.? It was an ancient practice to denote names by numbers; and this number must be refolveable into fome Greek or Hebrew name, to which all the characters here given may agree. It is an early tradition derived from Irenæus, who lived not long af ter St John's time, and was a difciple of a difciple of this apostle, that the number 666 includes the Greek name Lateinos or the Latin empire. Or if you prefer a Hebrew name, as St John hath fometimes made ufe of Hebrew names, it is no lefs remarkable that this number comprehends also the Hebrew name Ramüth or the Roman empire. For more clearness and fureness still, a woman is shown, Chap. xvii. riding upon the fame beast, and her name is Babylon the great; but Babylon was deftroyed long before, and by Babylon all agree, was meant Rome. The feven heads of the beaft are likewife explained to be feven mountains on which the woman fitteth, which all the world know to be the situation of Rome. The woman herself is also declared to be that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth;" and that can be none other than Rome. Indeed the papifts themselves allow (for they cannot but allow) all this to be faid of Rome, but then they argue and maintain it to be faid of Heathen Rome. But that cannot be; becaufe

8 Iren. Lib. 5. Cap. 30. p. 449. Edit. Grabe.

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cause it agrees not with feveral circumstances of the prophecy, and particularly with the woman's fitting upon the beaft with ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns,' which must needs typify the Roman empire, after it was divided into ten kingdoms, but the Roman empire was not divided into ten kingdoms till fome years after it became Chriftian. St John with the eyes of prophecy saw this beaftrife up out of the fea,' and the angel in his expofition faith that he fhall afcend out of the bottom- lefs pit; but Heathen Rome had rifen and flourished many years before this time. This beaft cannot reprefent Heathen Rome becaufe he is fucceffor to heathen Rome, to the great red dragon in his power, and his feat, and great authority.' This beaft was to continue and profper forty two' prophetic months, that is 1260 years; but Heathen Rome did not continue 400 years after this time. The woman is reprefented as the mother of idolatry, with her golden cup intoxicating the inhabiters of the earth;' but Heathen Rome ruled more with a rod of iron, and was rather an importer of foreign gods and fuperftitions than an exporter to other natious. St John wondered with great admiration,' when he faw the woman drunken with the blood of the faints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jefus ;' but wherefore should he, who had feen and fuffered the perfecutions under NeFO, wonder so much that Heathens fhould perfecute Chriftians; but that Chriftians fhould delight in fhedding the blood of Chriftians, was indeed of all wonders the greateft. The woman rideth upon the beaft under his feventh head' or laft form of government; but the fixth head,' which was the imperial form of government, is faid to be fubfifting in St John's time, and the fixth' was not destroyed, and the feventh' or laft form did not take place, till after Rome was become Christian. The ten kings with one mind gave their power and ftrength unto the beaft,' and afterwards hate the whore and make her defolate, and burn her with fire; but never did any ten kings unanimoufly and voluntarily fubmit to Heathen Rome, and afterwards burn her with fire. Rome according to the prophecies is to be utterly burnt with fire,' and to be made a deselation for ever and ever :'. but Rome hath never yet undergone this fate, and confequently

DISSERTATIONS ON

quently Heathen Rome cannot be the fubject of thefe prophecies. In fhort from thefe and all other characters and circumftances, fome whereof can never agree with Heathen Rome, and all agree perfectly with Chriftian Rome, it may and muft be concluded, that not Heathen but Christian, not imperial but papal Rome was intended by these visions.

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III. Befides the place and the perfons, the time alfo is fignified of this tyrannical power, when it should prevail, and how long it fhould prevail. Daniel mentions thefe things as being at a very great distance, and indeed they were at a very great diftance in his time. It is faid, viii. 26. x. 24. that it comprehends, viii. 29. what fhall be in the laft end of the indignation:' that it extends, xi. 35, 40. xii. the vifion is yet for many days ;” 4, 9. 6 even to the time of the end;' that when God, xii. fhall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things fhall be finished:' all which and other paffages to the fame purpose confidered' it appears as unaccountable as ftrange, that ever any man fhould imagine, as fome both ancients and moderns have imagined, that Daniel's prophecies reached not beyond the times of Antiochus Epiphanes. Daniel hath described four great empires, not contemporary, but fucceffive one to another. The fourth and laft is reprefented as the greatest of all, both in extent and in duration. voureth the whole earth, and treadeth it down, and breaketh it in pieces.' After which it is divided into ten kingdoms, and this divifion. So that this tyrannical power was to arise lt dethe little horn' groweth not up till after in the latter days of the Roman empire, after it should be divided into ten kingdoms. From St Paul too we may collect, that the great power of the Roman empire hindred the appearing of the man of fin; but when that power fhould be diminished and taken out of the way,' then fhould the man of fin be revealed in his time.' St John alfo refers thefe events to the fame æra. only the general order and the whole feries of his prophecies point to this time, but there are befides particular intimations of it. He defcribes the beaft' as fucceffor ΤΟ the Not and great authority: but if the great red dragon be,' great red dragon, in his power and in his feat,

t

as

as he is generally understood to be, the perfecuting power or Heathen Rome, then the perfecuting power of heathen Rome must be removed, before the beaft' can take his place. The beaft hath alfoten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns;' fo that ten complete kingdoms muft arife out of the Roman empire before the appearance of the beaft. Of his feven heads' it is faid, Five are fallen,' that is in St John's time five forms of government were past, one is and the other is not yet come,' and the fixth which was then present being the imperial, it neceffarily follows that the feventh or last must be fome form of government which must arise after the imperial; and as St John faw the one, we see the other.

It appears then that this Antichriftian power was to arife in the latter times of the Roman empire, after an end fhould be put to the imperial power, and after the empire fhould be divided into ten kingdoms: and it is not only foretold when it should prevail, but moreover how long it fhould prevail. Here we cannot but obferve, that the very fame period of time is prefixed for its continuance both by Daniel and by St John. Wonderful is the confent and harmony between these inspired writers, as in other circumftances of the prophecy, fo particularly in this. In Daniel, vii. 25. the little horn' was to wear out the faints of the moft High, and think to change times and laws; and it is faid expressly, that they 'fhould be given into his hand, until a time, and times, and the dividing of time;' or as the fame thing is expreffed in another place, xii. 7. 'for a time, times, and a half.” In the Revelation it is faid of the beast, xiii. 5. to whom in like manner it was given to make war with the faints, and to overcome them, that power alfo was given unto him to continue forty and two months' And the holy city,' xi. 2. the Gentiles fhould tread under foot forty and two months:' And the two witneffes,' ver. 3. • should prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days cloathed in fackloth:' And the woman the true church of Chrift, who fled into the wilderness from perfecution, xii. 6, 14. fhould be fed and nourished there' a thousand two hundred and threefcore days,' or as it is otherwife expreffed in the fame chapter, for a time, and times, and half a time.' Now all thefe numbers you will VOL. II.

I i

find

find upon computation to be the fame, and each of them to fignify 1260 years. For a time is a year, and a time and times and the dividing of time or half a time are three years and a half, and three years and a half' are 42 months, and 42 months are 1260 days, and 1260 days in the prophetic ftile are 1260 years. From all these dates and characters it may fairly be concluded, that the time of the churches great affliction and of the reign of Antichrift will be a period of 1260 years.

To fix the time exactly when thefe 1260 years begin, and confequently when they will end, is a matter of fome nicenefs and difficulty; and perhaps we must fee their conclufion, before we can precifely ascertain their beginning. However it appears to be a very great miftake of fome very learned men in dating the commencement of this period too early. This is the capital error of Mr Mede's fcheme; what hath led him, and others who have followed his example, into fubfequent errors; and what the event hath plainly refuted. For if the reign of Antichrift had begun, as he reckons, about the year 456, its end would have fallen out about the year 1716. The truth is, thefe 1260 years are not to be reckoned from the beginning of these corruptions, from the rife of this tyranny, for the mystery of iniquity began to work' even in the days of the apoftles; but from their full growth and establishment in the world. Of the little horn,' who was to wear out the faints of the most High, and to change times and laws,' it is faid that they fhould be given into his hand,' which can imply no lefs than the most abfolute power and authority over them, ⚫ until a time, and times, and the dividing of time.' like manner, the holy city,' the true church of Christ, was to betrodden under foot,' which is the lowest state of fubjection; the two witneffes' were not only to prophefy, but to prophefy in fackcloth,' that is in mourning and affliction; the woman,' the church, was to abide in the wilderness,' that is in a forlorn and desolate condition; and power was given to the beast' wandan not merely to continue' as it is tranflated, but 'to practife and profper,' and to do according to his will; and all for this fame period of 1260 years. These 1260 years therefore of the reign of Antichrift are not to be compu

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ted